Feed-regulator for twine-machines



`(No Model.) ,I Y J. F. STEWARD.

FEED REGULATOR POR TWINB MACHINES.

Patented Aug. 1, 189s.

UNrrEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STEWARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FEED-REGULATOR FOR TWINE-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,326, dated August1, 1893. Application filed March 12, 1892. Serial No. 424,658. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. STEWARD, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new FeedRegulator forTwine-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My method is applicable to various kinds of twine-making machinery, butI have seen fit to show it in connection with a sliver-mak` ing deviceforming the subject matter of an application by George H. Ellis andmyself, filed March 12,1892, Serial No. 424,650, and in order to do sohave modified the Ellis-Steward machine referred to, to adapt it to theprinciples involved in my present invention.

lThe method consists in the use of means whereby the sliver that isformed ready for spinning is measured and the size so measured controlmechanism whereby the slivermaking devices are caused to deposit more orless liber as required; for instance, if the forming sliver be runninglarge it will, through the mechanism I have devised, cause a decrease inthe amount of fiber being deposited, and if it be small the feedingdevices will be influenced to deposit larger quantities of fiber.

The figures of the drawings show the principles as seems to me bestembodied for controlling sliver made of coarser fibers, particularlyslough grass. At any rate, I find the embodiment to be a successful one.

Figure l is a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a side view, withthe spinning apparatus, the fiber-receiving hopper, and various otherparts, in section, as if cut on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the feeding jaw, partly in section. Fig. 4 is asectional view of the parts for testing the size of the sliver, as Imake them for the particular fiber referred to. Fig. 5 is designed tomake clear the principles involved in the sliver-testing device or, as Ihave seen fit to call it, the feeler I have thought best to show in thepresent exemplification of my invention. Fig. 6 shows a modification ofthe feeler or sliver-testing device.

A is a hopper in which the fiber is placed and from which it is fed bythe rope and weight c, or other suitable means, toward the path ofmovement of a wisp-forming and carrying jaw, which delivers it into areceiving hopper B ready to be spun. The wisp-forming jaw is preferablyin the periphery of a thin wheel C, the said jaw consisting of a notchc, into which the fibers may fall or be pressed. The wheel C is securedto the shaft D, journaled in the frame E.

F is an arm reaching from the hopperA to the support G, which may besecured to the frame of the machine in any convenient manner. Beneaththe arm F is the concave l-I, preferably a flexible strap extendedaround beneath the bar G and connected to the spring I, by which it iskept taut against the periphery of the wheel.

I have shown the notched-wheel form of feeding device as a suitable one,and in fact, a preferable one. The wisps are deposited in the hopper Band move in a longitudinal direction into a spinner, the spindle ofwhich is shown at J. In order that it may be drawn thereinto the rollersj andy" are provided. By the rotation of these rollers on their axes,the fibers are drawn at any desired rate and the wisps delivered by therotation of the feeding wheel C as frequently as may be desired `byregulating in any suitable manner the speeds of rotation of same.

What I have so far described may be con sidered any sliver-makingmachine, but that shown will form the subject matter of the applicationabove referred to.

My present invention will, be clearly understood without furtherdescription of the machine except as regards the method of use and thedetails of construction that adapt it to the present use.

The receiving hopper B is preferably inclined and terminates at itslower end in an aperture K, preferably kiteshaped, with the acute partof its contour downward.

K is a feeler, as I will term it, which, in connection with an opposingelement having the aperture K, and having a rising and falling movement,feels of the prepared sliver as it passes from the delivering hopper l5,and is iniiuenced by the size of the said sliver to control the feedingdevices. This feeler is preferably made as shown in Fig. l,in whichfigure, at the crossing of the lines 4-4 and 2 2, willbe seen alozenge-shaped opening formed by the parts forming K and K. The faces ofthese two parts lie together, as shown in Fig. 4. I have made the upperand lower IOO angles forming this space very acute for reasons that willbe explained. It may be uuder some circumstances advisable to make themother shapes-in fact, the two openings may have rounded ends, as shownin Fig. 6. With Vthese parts properly siaped it will be readily seenthatif the sliver be drawn through the opening it willn raise the part Kif large, and allow it to fall if small, the saidfeeler'being free torise and fall.

Turning now to Fig. l, let us suppose the feeler K to beheld downward bya slight spring force, or preferably'by its own weight, for which reasonI make it large and hang it to the lever L, pivoted at. Z, to suitablearms of the frame E. As the feeler K' rises and falls then, under the induence ofthe moving sliver ou account of its variations in size, thelever L at its upper end will be caused to rise and fall. I Vhat I haveso far treated as a lever is in the form of a rock shaft having two armsZ2 and L', the axis, as stated, formed by the rock shaft Z3. Adjacent tothe notch in the feeder, which I have shown as a wheel, is an arm M,seen in det-ail in Fig. 3, pivoted to the wheel by the pin m, whichpasses through it and is squared to receive the arm M2. The arm M iscontinued beyond its axis and has a supplemental arm M', as shown inFigs. l and 3, so that it may be influenced bya part of the leverL whichis bent to conform somewhat nearly, for a distance, with the path ofmovement of the said arm, and thus control it while passing,r under thesupply reservoir. Around the axis of the arm is a springm2, connected tothe arm at one end and to a pin, fm', at the other. This spring, as willbe seen, is adapted to force the arms'M and-M2 so as to close the slotintended to form a jaw and carry the wisps of liber. The stop pin isprovided to limit its movement, as seen in Fig. l. The spring referredto is but slight in tension, being intended only to be suflicientto keepthe notch of the feeding device closed until opened, and the weight ofK', or spring pressure if preferred,is sufticientto overcome thepressure of the spring m2.

In the form of spinner which I have adapted my inventionto operate with,the sliver, as it is formed, rotates in the hopper B, and as I do notwish the feeler K to interfere with said rotation of the sliverto aharmful extent I lift it so as to leave a large and free opening betweenit and the part K, and hold it in that position all of the time exceptwhen it is necessary to allow it to come in contact with the sliver soas to be influenced by the size of thelatter. To accomplish thisI locatea cam C' upon the side of the wheel, and by means or this cam raise thepart K' andV otherwise control it. An anti-friction roller C2 is pivotedto the lever andthe cam so shaped that the lever may be free to rockunder the weight of K' at the time the feed-controlling` arms M and M2and the notch in the wheel the capacity of which they regulate, arepassing beneath the supply reservoir. It is thus seen that during everyrevolution of the wheel the feeler K is dropped onto the sliver, whichin this case is supposed to rotate, once during the revolution ofthewheel C, and the upper end of the lever L allowed to act upon themovable part of the feeding jaw as a cam. It is plain, in short, that bythe rising and falling of the upper end of the lever L, which, as said,forms, in eect, a cam track, the capacity of the feeding notch isregulated. In order that the scope of variation of the positions assumedby the cam-shaped part of the lever L under the influence of varyingsizes of the sliver may be as great as possible, I have made the sidesformingY the opening through which the sliver passes as acute, inpositions relative to each other, as possible. Reference to the diagramsof Fig. 5 will show that it' the sliver be the size shown at l, thefeeler can drop much lower than if the sliver be large, as at 2 in thesame ligure. These figures show how a variation as great asthree-eighths of an inch in the height at which the feeler is held, maybe accomplished if the proportions be adhered to.

The operation has been sufliciently described, but it is proper to addthat I have so provided that the size of the sliver shall affect thefeeler K to raise it higher than is perhaps necessary. But as thefeeding wheel will revolve quite fast and take small quantities of fiberat a time, little harm will result if it is closed during an occasionalrevolution.

I prefer that the proportions besuch as tocause a total stoppage of thefeed in case of sudden enlargement of the sliver. This, however, can beadaptedby makers to the special requirements. and even to mere whims ofthe makers.

I believe myself to be first to control the quantity of liber formedinto a sliver by measurement of the sliver itself, or its equivalent, bymeasurement of the same after it becomes twine, as my feeler K' may beplaced he: hind the spinner instead of before it. Vhen placed before it,however, any reduction. or increase in the size of the sliver iscorrected as near the source of supply, and hence as quickly aspossible.

I shall not so limit my claims as to only cover the constructionshown,but in addition to broad claims, will cover the said specificdetails and combinations of details' by means of which I carry out theinvention.

The two essentials for carrying the principles into effect are, afeeding device adapted to be regulated, and a device adapted to beinfluenced by the size of the sliver to conlOO IIO

trol the quantity fed by the feeding device. Y

I shall claim the combination of these two elements'broadly, and shallclaim the combination of various mechanical parts forming each of themin addition, as well as such other combinations of parts as I have seenlit to make to properly carryvout the invention.

It is plain that the feeding notch or jaw may be variously shaped andvariously regulated by the feeler K or its equivalent, or by the cam,and there may be a number of detours in the cam C', but of course anequal number of feeding jaws in the periphery of the disk.

In order to enable the machine to be regulated so that it shall makelarge sliver or small sliver, as required, I provide adjustment wherebythe feeler can be raised or lowered, and that while the machine is inoperation. I apply a supplemental arm N to the rock shaftls, and extendthe arm Z2 to form the arm at. Intothe arm N, is hooked the end of thebolt n', which passes through the arm n and is provided with the nut n2.The movement of the rock shaft is so slight that the adjustment nut willbe so nearly still that it can be turned without stopping the machine.

The effect of the adjustment will be readily understood. If we supposethe thumb nut to be turned so as to raise the feeler, Ithe result willbe that alarger sliver will be required to aiect it; n short, theWisp-forming jaw will then not be affected until the sliver becomes tobe the desired size. Any increase in the size of the sliver will preventthe feeler from dropping so low as in case of small sliver, and thewisp-forming jaw permitted to have greater capacity.

While the feeding jaw or notch c is passing under the concave,preferably formed by the strap I'I, the `fiber will be retained, but assoon as the notch passes away from the strap the spring will compel thearms Maud M2 to force the fibers out of the notch and permit them tofall into the receiverB. Having then a forced discharge, wisps may bequickly thrown out and the wheel revolved at a rapid rate of speed, ifdesired.

I have shown two means of adjustment to adapt the machine to varioussizes of twine, either of which may be made use ot', the former, thatabove described, and the latter shown in Figs. l and 2 consisting inslotting the holes by which the casting having the opening K is screwedto the frame pieces, and securing to the frame also a bracket o, throughwhich a set screwois threaded. Looseningthe bolts which pass through theslotted holes, the screw may be turned so as to raise or lower openingK. By this means it will be seen that the relative positions K and Kwill be varied.

I deem it not necessary to show the various means for adjustment of thefeed-regulating device that have occurred to me, but recommend to thosewishing to avail themselves of the invention to modify the means ofadjustment to conform to special requirements.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination of a supply hopper, a wisp-forming and carrying jaw,a spinner to which the tibersare delivered, and mechanism, influenced bythe quantity of fiber being spun, adapted to regulate the amount offiber delivered to the said spinner by regulating the capacity of thesaid wisp-formiug and carrying jaw, substantially as described.

j 2. The combination of a supply reservoir, a wisp-forming and` carryingjaw, operating to take bers from the said supply reservoir, said jawadapted to be increased or decreased in its capacity, and a controlling`element therefor that is itself controlled by the quantity of fiber inthe sliver at a point where the latter is fully completed, substantiallyas de. scribed.

3. A supply reservoir, a wisp-forming and carrying jaw, the capacity ofwhich may be increased or decreased, a lever provided with a guidingsurface adapted to regulate the capacity of the said wispforming andwispcarrying jaw, and means controlled by the amount of fiberspreviously deposited for regulating the position of the lever allcombined` substantially as described.

4. The combination with the hopper at its end, having the aperturethrough which the formed sliver is drawn, of a feeler, the position ofwhich is adapted to be inliuenced by the size of theoutdrawn sliver, anda wispforming and carrying jaw adapted to lay the fibers of said sliverunder the control of said feeler, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a supply reservoir, a wisp-forming andwisp-carrying jaw, a liber receiving hopper out from which the saidfibers are drawn as sliver, a feeler the position of which is adapted tobe influenced by the size of said sliver, and means adapted, by thevariations in position of said feeler due to irregularities in size ofsaid sliver, to regulate the capacity of the said wisp-forming andcarrying jaw, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the hopper, at its end having the aperture Kthrough which the prepared sliver is drawn, of a feeler the normalpositionof which, in order to be intluenced, is against the ber beingoutdrawn, a supply reservoir and wisp-forming and carrying jaw, saidfeeler and said jaw connected by mechanism whereby the position of thefeeler regulates the capacity of the wisp-forming and carrying jaw,substantially as described.

7. In combination with the hopper, having, at its end, the aperture Kthrough which the prepared sliver is drawn, of the feeler K in itsnormal position being in contact with the outgoing sliver, mechanismconnecting said feeler with the automatically adjustable wispforming andcarrying jaw, and the said jaw, the said feeler moved out of contactwith the sliver during the time that the feeding jaw is not passing thereservoir substantially as described. Y

8. The combination of the supply reservoir, the feeding jaws, thereceiving hopper, the lever L for controlling the capacity of the saidjaws, and the weighted feeler K,said lever L connecting said feeler tosaid jaws substantially as described.

9. The combination of the hopper A and the hopper B, the feedingdevices, the latter adapted to take the fibers from the hopper A anddeliver Ihenn into the hopper B, the spinning mechanism adapted to drawthe sliver prepared by the feeding devices from the hopper B, the saidhopper having an aperture through which the said sliver is drawn, Withthe feeler K', having 'che sides which span the outdrawing sliver at anacute angle relative to each other, whereby che variations in the sizeof Inhefsliver Will cause lshe said feeler to assume widely differentpositions during its contact with said varying sizes of sliver, andmechanism connecting the said feeler With the feeding devices so as toiniiuence the capacity of the same, substantially as described.

JOHN F. STEWARD.

Witnesses:

ELIsE M. HALvERsoN, ARTHUR JOHNSON.

